Ct Consumer Complaint: T-Mobile Catch 22

My name is Walter Kawecki, and I have a complaint concerning T-Mobile. I’m not sure you can help me, but, here goes:

I have been a T-Mobile customer for about 2 1/2 years. When I began my original contract I got the phone at a mall kiosk. I had a 2 year contract and was given a phone. Apparently that was what was referred to as a Flex Pay account. Great.

Now, they have informed me that the Flex Pay accounts are being phased out, and I am eligible for another account. Also, recently, I believe, I had been eligible for a phone upgrade.

However, when I’m on the T-Mobile website, I can I choose the Free Phone that I want (LG Optimus) and pick the plan that I want (Unlimited Plus Value Plan ). It then asks me if I’d like to keep my number, and I say Yes. I am then told that my number is unauthorized for porting. (Okay, so I need a new phone number to get this plan??)

If I tell this to the 611 supervisor, they gtell me that I am not eligible for a free phone, unless I sign up for an Unlimited Plus Classic Plan(http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/individual-plans.aspx), which is exactly the same as the Unlimited Plus Value Plus, except for the extra $20 and “Free Phone” (which is actually a $480 phone when the extra $20 is taken in to account).

I explain to them that:

1. Have have been a customer in good standing for over 2 years

2. That I have never been late with a payment

3. That this Combination of Unlimited Plus Value Plan and Free LG Optimus Phone is available on the T-Mobile website to me

4. I don’t want to change my phone number.

5. That I don’t want the Unlimited Plus Classic Plan

6. That with the Unlimited Plus Classic Plan, the phone is not Free, I can do math and it comes out to $480 w/ the extra $20/mo.

7. That this is ridiculous.

* I also ask ‘What happened to my Upgrade credit??’

The rep tells me that certain features are only available to new customers. I ask to speak with Executive Customer Relations, and they tell me I NEED TO WRITE THE PHONE COMPANY (Write a phone company?? there’s no one I can CALL at the Phone Company!?)

Please help if you can – I’m beyond frustrated!

Also a question: If I do sign up for the service online, do they have to port my number?

5 Responses to Ct Consumer Complaint: T-Mobile Catch 22

C. C. on October 10, 2011 at 8:07 pm

You, sir, do not understand how phone subsidies work.

The Classic plans are more like the mobile plans the American public has known for years. They have the cost of the phone built into them over the life of the required contract … subsidizing the phone and making it appear as though the phone is free. The Value plans do away with phone subsidies in favor of lower monthly fees. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. You get one or the other (higher up front cost or higher monthly payments), but either way you’re going to pay for your phone. The phone is never free. It never has been. You just weren’t informed enough to figure that out.

It’s not rocket science. I’m amazed so many people have trouble wrapping their minds around this.

My family tried to do a good deed and took in a homeless friend of our daughter’s: we fed her, gave her a place to stay, and a cell phone. After she betrayed us and stole 500.00 from us, I immediately cancelled the cell service. T-Mobil charged us 200.00 to cancel the contract. My family has been with T-Mobile for about 12+ years and never had a late payment. I wrote to the top eight people at T-Mobile ( members of the 1%) and asked for some credit. Instead, I got a pre-written dialog speech from a female member (of the 99% like me) about how T-Mobil gives no one a break if a contract is broken. Reminds me of The Devil and Danial Webster—I sold my soul to T-Mobil. My contract is up March 20, 2013 and I’ll be getting a new phone service. Can’t wait. Marked my calender. Oh, did I tell you they also stopped supporting my home phone that is still on a contract.DO NOT USE T-MOBILE, there are other companies out there that don’t commit you to diamond-based contacts that don’t break, no matter what the circumstances.

Guess what T-Mobile does when a customer passes away…….they demand death certificates from the family, written notices and three other hoops to jump through and then continue billing for months after the death. They will probably try to bill God next.

I had this nightmare from tmobile ..DIGEST SCAM EVER ..watchout people with good credit they hand you to credit colectors ..this collectors are unprofessional they work for tmobile their pay check comes from tmobile …they tranfare your bills to them for them to threat you with credit score …watch out! Don’t ever ever do business with. T-MOBILE period !